Drive



Jan. 27, 1948. R.M.1NARDONE" 2,435,050

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Original Filed Dec. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet .1 v

Jan. 27, 1948.

R. M. NARDONE pniva Original Filed De c. 12, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 UNITED STATE Patented Jan. 27, 1948 muvn Romeo M. Nardone, Westwood, N. 1., as'signor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, Bendix, N. J., a

corporation of Delaware J Original application December 12, 1940, Serial No.

s PATENT oF FICE- 369,910. Divided and this application May 27, 1943, Serial No. 488,762 I This invention relates to aircraft and particularly to aircraft of the type having freely rotative sustaining wings normally driven in flight by the action of the relative wind. In such an aircraft the rotative wing system, as explained in the specification of the Rawson Patent No.

1,921,839, usually consists of a plurality of wings 2 Claims. (Cl.170--135 .5)

2 closed in Lansing Patent No. 1,962,397, granted June '12, 1934.

or blades attached to a central hub mounted for 7 free rotation, the whole system of wing and hub sary initial rotation.

A 'furtherobject is to provide integrated, englue-starting and rotor-starting 1 means for an aircraft of the character described.

These and other objects and features of the invention are pointed out. in the following description in terms of the embodiment thereof which is shown in the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawlngsare for the purpose of illustration only, and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims for this purpose.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in longitudinal section, of a device embodying the invention; a

Fig. 2 is a transverse view showing the clutch operating elements;

Fig. 3 is another view of the clutch lever;

Fig. 4 is a view of that portion of the mechanism whichis disposed in nearest relationship to the rotor to be driven; and a Fig. 5-is a diagrammatic view illustrating the driving connection between the rotor and that. portion of the mechanism which effects rotation.

of the engine.

Barrel I, integral with gear 2, has a toothed extension adapted to be positively driven by the engine crank-shaft or lay-shaft. Gear 2 drives gear 3 mounted on bearings 4 and 5. An enginestarting motor B'has an axially movable, rotat-- able clutch element 1 movable into mesh with a similar clutch element 8 riveted to the gear 3; the starter 8' and clutch I being preferably of the automatically engaged and disengaged type dis- A friction clutch pack '9 is normally free, or without load, but is adapted to be loaded by operation of a lever ll secured to a yoke l2 which is in engagement with airing It mounted on a ball bearing it. Ring 83 is adapted to move freely to the left until its lip Ill contacts the rear face of a longitudinally movable ratchet ring l5. This clutch ring i5 is splined to the driven shaft it,

and is held in position by a spring-pressed ball detent ll. Pressure applied to the rear face of clutch ring overcomes the hold of the detent, and spring it then snaps the clutch ring it into engagement with mating ratchet teeth It cut on the end of cylinder 2!. Cylinder 2! has external splines to receive the drive from alternate friction discs of the clutch pack 9; the associated interleaving discs being splined to the barrel l.

After engagement of ratchet teeth l5 and I9,

further movement of ring l3 to the left causes the inner race of hearing it to engage thepressure plate 2t and press springs 26 against the clutch pack 9. How much these springs are compressed determines the torque value of the clutch, and the drive is transmitted from barrel l by way of clutlch pack 9 and ratchet teeth l5, l9 to driven shaft t.

When lever ii is brought back to its original position, jaw iii is drawn back and held by detent I7, and spring 28 re-expands to release the pressure on the clutch pack 9. A sto 3| limits the movement of lever II and thereby limits the torquevalue that can be transmitted by the clutch pack.

As illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the drive from shaft It to the aircraft rotor R includes a freewheeling roller clutch 39 (Fig. 4) having an inner race keyed or splined to the hub of a bevel gear 35 driven by a mating gear 35a, the latter being driven through a universal joint drive shaft 35b extending from the end of shaft l 8; the outer race of the roller clutch 33 being integral with a shafttt whose proiectingend receives the rotor blades of the rotor R.

By reason of this unidirectional clutch 33 a I to. return the lever to the ratchet-disengaging position will not interfere with free rotation of the rotor blades, after the initial drive from-the engine has served its purpose.

This application is a division of my applica- 3 tion No. 869,910, filed December 12, 1940, and issued June 15. 1943, as Patent No. 2,322,153.

What is claimed is:

1. In aircraft apparatus comprising rotatable wings, and driving means for said wings including clutch means providing for free wheeling of the wings, the combination of a gear carrying an engine jaw element, a starter having a rotatable jaw me'nber axially movable between positions of operative engagement with and disengagement from said jaw element, a rotative barrel adapted for connection to the engine and having gear connection to said first gear, a shaft adapted to be driven by the engine, a first clutch member, friction elements connected to said barrel and said first clutch member, respectively, means tending to disengage said friction elements from each other, operating means for engaging said friction elements to each other, spring means opposing said operating means, a cooperating clutch member rotatable with and axially movable relative to said shaft, means biasing said cooperating clutch member axially toward engagement with said first clutch member, slip detent means holding said cooperating clutch member against said bias, control means operative to release said cooperating clutch member from said slip detent means for engagement with said first clutch member under said bias and subsequently to actuate said operating means against the action of said spring means to engage said friction elements to each other, means cooperating with said control means for limiting the value the torque transmitted by said friction elements, and means for connecting said shaft to the rotatable wing driving means.

2. In aircraft apparatus comprising rotatable wings, and driving means for said wings including clutch means providing for free wheeling of the wings, the combination of a rotative member adapted for connection to a propeller driving engine, an element adapted to rotate said member, a starter adapted to rotate said element to start 4 the engine, an engine driven shaft, a first clutch member, torque-limiting means including friction elements connected to said rotative member and said first clutch member, respectively, means tending to disengage said friction elements from each other, operating means for engaging said friction elements to each other, spring means opposing said operating means, a cooperating clutch member rotatable with and axially movable relative to said shaft. means biasing said cooperating clutchmember axially toward engagement with said first clutch member, means for holding said cooperating clutch member'against said bias. control means operative to release said cooperating clutch member from said holding means for engagement with said first clutch member under said bias and subsequently to actuate said operating means against the action of said spring means to engage said friction elements to each other, means cooperating with said control means for limiting the value of the torque transmitted by said friction elements. and means for connecting said shaft to the rotatable wing driving means. ROMEO M. NARDONE.

REFERENCES crrnn W The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

' UN ITED STATES PATENTS 

